


A Chase Through Time

by nocturne-of-forest (annathescavver)



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26131984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annathescavver/pseuds/nocturne-of-forest
Summary: When Link steps through the portal in the Sacred Grove, he is taken back in time. What he doesn't realize is how far back in time he went.
Relationships: Link & Midna (Legend of Zelda), The Hero's Spirit | Hero of Time | Golden Wolf & Link
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	A Chase Through Time

The familiarity is what unsettled him the most.

It wasn’t the fact that they’d traveled back in time, nor was it the smell of magic on the air. Strange as they were, they were nothing new to him.

No, what bothered him was the unshakable feeling that he’d been there before. The temple’s vaulted ceilings, its stained glass windows, its polished marble floors. They were all sights he recognized. Somehow.

“So, we traveled back in time…” Midna appeared at his side, hands coming to rest on her hips. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Well, don’t just stand there. Let’s look around. The mirror shard has to be here somewhere.”

She floated towards the ceiling, regarding the bright light coming through the windows with a frown. “So much light,” she mumbled, one hand coming up to shield her eyes. “Hey, that’s odd. We were in the middle of the forest…”

Leaning against the window, she peered out. “It reminds me of castle town. Where do you think we are?”

Unable to answer, Link shook his head. He moved farther into the room.

The temple was a beautiful building. Awe-inspiring and quite capable of commanding respect. But there was also a feeling of grief hanging in the air. It was as if these marble walls had seen so many years and so many tragedies. And, to be fair, they probably had.

Link winced at the sight of the mud he was tracking in.

Every sound, every step of his feet or rustle of his gear, was loud in the near total silence. It was a still, expectant silence, as if the temple itself was a living thing that was watching them and waiting to see what they would do.

On one side, on either side of the door they’d entered through, were two bird-like statues. Link studied them closely and, noticing this, Midna joined him.

"Hey, we’ve seen these before. They’re all over the place. You marked where they were on that map of yours, didn’t you?” She tapped a finger against her chin. “It looks like they can be moved, but I don’t think even you can move them yourself. There must be something else here. Maybe that’s the secret power your friend was talking about.”

With that, they turned towards the rest of the temple. As they did so, Link began to fiddle with his gauntlets. Adjusting them, tapping his fingers against the soft leather - his hands were unable to stay still.

“Midna?” he finally asked. His voice came out thin and a little shaky.

She spun around, shifting so that she was in front of him. “What’s the matter?”

“This place is familiar. I’ve...I think I’ve been here before.”

“You have,” Midna replied with a confused expression. “You know...following that kid through the woods, those big statues that blocked the entrance to the spot you found the sword....”

Link was already shaking his head. “No. I mean, I’ve been _here_. This place. This time.”

“That’s impossible. Well, I guess not impossible.” Midna crossed her arms over her chest. “So, what do you mean, you’ve been here before?”

“I...don’t know. It’s a feeling. This place just reminds me of something. It did before, too.” Link put a hand to the back of his neck, trying to soothe the stress he felt. “You remember how I said the grove seemed so familiar? I thought it was just because it was in the middle of the woods.”

Link walked forward, hands scrubbing up and down his arms. Where had he seen this place before? How was that even possible? The temple was abandoned, lost somewhere deep in the woods. Not only that, but where they currently stood was somewhere from another era.

"You said there are buildings outside?”

“Yeah,” Midna replied. “There’s a lot of people outside, too.”

He had no idea what that meant. “I wonder if that’s what I need to look into, or what I’ll have to face.”

With a shrug, Midna followed him. “Could be,” she said. “Or maybe that’s just what this era looked like. You tell me. I don’t know much about Hyrulean history.”

It wasn’t like Link knew a whole lot more. But one thing was for certain: he did not recall anything like what she claimed was outside.

Except…

What was that legend, about some hero before him? And the spirit who taught him sword fighting had mentioned defeating some force of evil that had threatened Hyrule. To do so, he’d traveled back and forth in time. Using the Master Sword, in…

_Oh._

Link broke out in a cold sweat.

“...you okay? Link? Look at me.”

He willed his eyes to focus and met Midna’s.

“You’ve got that look in your eyes again,” she said. “Something’s really bothering you. You know, if you want to talk about it, we can.”

That was true. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d confided in her about something. Traveling together, just the two of them, for so long had led to some long nights and honest conversations.

“I was, well, thinking of what people have said about the hero before me. He also saved Hyrule from some great danger.”

“Seems to be a recurring theme,” Midna remarked quietly. She folded her hands behind her back. “Go on.”

“What if this is his time?”

Tipping her head to the side, Midna seemed to give it thought. “It’s not like we haven’t seen weirder things,” she began. “But we don’t have any proof of this actually being his time.”

“That’s fair,” Link admitted. “I’m not sure which I’d rather have, to be honest. Part of me wants to meet him. I mean, I have, because I believe he’s the one teaching me, but still.”

The ghostly swordsman was a mentor to him, but it went beyond training. He had offered Link advice on more than one occasion, and just the feelings of...of validation and encouragement he received had meant more to Link than learning even a particularly useful sword fighting move.

The swordsman _saw_ him. _Understood_ what it was like to be so suddenly thrown into the role of hero. The swordsman wanted to help him, to guide him.

It was as if Link was being looked out for.

Shaking himself, Link began to walk towards the far end of the room, Midna following at his side. “Let’s just...get the mirror shard,” he murmured. “That’s what we’re here to do.”

He decided to ignore the look of concern Midna was giving him.

Like before, there was a set of stairs leading up towards a large round room. It was still empty except for the stone pedestal in the center. Beams of golden light spilled through the narrow windows, crossing directly over the pedestal and illuminating the insignia carved into it. This time, there was no moss growing over the stone, nor ivy clinging to the walls. There was only cold, polished marble.

And the sword was gone.

Link wasn’t sure if it was because he was carrying it, or for some other reason.

Studying it, he caught sight of his reflection in the floor’s brilliant shine. Thick and tangled hair, complete with a twig poking out near his ear, scuffed and muddy boots, and a carefully mended tunic. Oh, and there were bags under his eyes. That was to be expected; no matter how many times he was told to _get some sleep_ he almost always found it difficult to sleep for more than a few hours.

Nightmares had a way of doing that to someone.

“Doesn’t look like there’s a way forward,” Midna commented, circling the room and inspecting the walls. “No pressure plates, no things to move. No torches to light with the lantern you’ve got. What’s the puzzle here?”

“I think,” Link said, reaching for the Master Sword. “I have to use this, again.”

He lined the blade up with the pedestal and slammed it down. Blue light erupted around him and the force of it nearly knocked him back. Looking up, he saw the light spiral away above his head. He felt a trembling in his hands at the sight. 

A staircase, this one shimmering with a rainbow of colors, formed nearby. It led to the window opposite the door they’d come through. There. That was the way farther into the temple.

Withdrawing the sword, Link returned it to its scabbard. Just as he turned towards the stairs, he heard the sound of footsteps.

Footsteps?

Whirling around, he caught the flash of green and something glowing. There was the shine of a sword in their left hand. His stomach twisted painfully. Before Midna could stop him, he was racing towards the figure, eyes wide and arm outstretched.

_Wait!_

But the distant figure didn’t wait.

They disappeared through the doorway and were gone.

Link came to a halt, falling to his knees just before the stairs. Grief squeezed his throat and he fought back the tears that threatened to fall.

“Link, stop! Come back!” Midna had not noticed his sudden dash across the room at first and so hurried to catch up to him. “What are you even _doing_?”

She stopped when she saw how distraught he was. Slowly, hands at her sides, she lowered herself so that she floated next to him. She waited.

“I saw him.”

“The other hero, huh?” Midna asked and got a nod in response. “I guess you were right. We are in his time. Hey, I’m sorry you couldn’t catch up to him.”

“It’s probably for the best,” Link said, his voice betraying how much he wished it wasn’t. “Meeting him here might upset things going forward.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Midna reached out and rested a hesitant hand on his shoulder. “I realize how important he is to you,” she continued softly. “I’ve tried to stay out of it, because it’s something just between you two, but I can always tell how excited you get to see him again.”

Link nodded again, not trusting himself to speak. 

The thing was, the swordsman was like a father to him. That was certainly possible - he remembered the light spirit, Faron, saying something about him sharing the hero’s blood. He cared less about the literal bloodline and more about the relationship they’d formed, though. It was comforting, soothing even, to have someone like that. Especially when, though he was accepted as a part of the giant family that was Ordon Village, there were few people he felt safe turning to for advice, and no one he truly saw as such a figure.

Clearing his throat, Link spoke. “I guess I was just hoping I could meet him outside of training. I know this wouldn’t be ideal. It’s not like he’d even know who I am. But I couldn’t help...hoping, anyway.”

He left out how seeing the other hero disappear had felt like a knife in his gut. It was difficult enough for him when one of the training sessions would end and the swordsman would send him back to his own world. Each time, there was one less new skill to learn, and that meant there was a limit on how many times they would meet.

Link pushed himself to his feet. It hurt. It wouldn’t stop hurting anytime soon. But there was nothing to be done about it. The cruelty of it stung.

“You okay?” Midna asked. “If not, we can wait a bit before heading in. And if you need to leave this place for a while, I get it.”

It was tempting, but Link knew that waiting - putting off exploring this temple and dealing with how it made him feel - wouldn’t make it any easier.

“Thanks,” he said with a small smile. “But we should just head inside.”

He took a few steps forward before stopping and glancing to where Midna hovered near his shoulder. “I appreciate you hearing me out. I know I talk in circles, and sometimes I don’t make much sense.”

Midna waved a hand. “Don’t mention it. That’s what...friends are for, right? Besides, don’t talk about yourself like that. I understand you just fine, you silly wolf.”

With an amused roll of his eyes, Link finally led the way back to the round room. He might not be able to talk to his mentor all the time, but he had Midna. And that in itself was a bigger help than he knew how to explain.

Sharing one last glance with her, he walked up the stairs and entered the temple.

**Author's Note:**

> So I got to that part in game, heard the same music from Ocarina of Time's temple, and I won't lie, I cried. And I got to thinking...what if, by going back in time, Link is actually in that temple somehow?
> 
> Anyway. Have a great day and take care of yourselves.


End file.
